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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Library bookcases done. Boom!

Remember that one time, back in January, when I had that idea to transform our dining room into a library? And then, back in March, when we started the process of building bookcases for the new library?

Yeah, it was eight months ago, so I don’t blame you if you can’t remember. ;) Well, they are finally done!!!! And I’m thrilled!!

I have worked my butt off over the past few days to get them done. Seriously, my butt should be a third of it’s size.

There was so much to do to finish up, I didn’t realize how long it would take. There was a TON of painting – I had done one coat of primer on the bottom cabinets before, but then I dropped a can of blue paint that splattered all over them (fun times) and I got a recommendation to use an oil-based primer instead anyway (more on that later). So, I reprimed the cabinets and taped off the baseboards and cabinet trim with my Frogtape:

I did one more coat of primer and two coats of semi gloss white paint.

I primed the cabinet doors and then sprayed them with the semi gloss two times:

The finish is impeccable! I’ll show you more of that process soon too!

I used a TON caulk. It was insane. I used this trick I saw on a DIY show. Or maybe it was a blog? Pinterest? Who knows anymore!:

And found an awesome tool that helped this process immensely that I’ll show you soon too!

I installed the crown molding in the room and caulked the top and bottom of that:

I originally picked out hardware that was a nickel finish, but I realized after I got the lights in that I wanted the hardware to match it, so I went back to Home Depot and picked these out:

I love their clean lines – they say “library” to me:

I installed some lattice wood on the side of the cabinets just to add a little detail:

And THEN I could really start decorating the shelves! I’ve had most of them (mostly) done for awhile now, it was those taller shelves on the bottom that were hard:

Sometimes accessorizing is the easiest thing and everything just falls into places nicely. Sometimes it takes FOREVER to get it right. These took for.ev.er:

I’ll share more detail on all of the accessories soon, but for now, let’s just enjoy the final result shall we?:

The dog likes it too. I swear I don’t stage him like that – our animals are just obsessed with being in each photo. I had just shooed the cats out of the shot. ;)

I know I say this a lot, but they turned out EXACTLY how they looked in my head. I really don’t think I could be happier:

I love how the shelf spacing turned out – we made the bottom one bigger because we had to deal with the light switch and thermostat. We have a ton of bigger books that I wanted to have room for on the bottom, but I ended up laying them all flat anyway. ;) At first I was a little nervous about the bigger bottom shelf but I really like how it came together.

By the way, we asked two heating and cooling guys about the thermostat – I thought we’d have to move it. They both said it’s fine as is, which was a nice surprise. I’m even more surprised that they don’t bother me much. I hardly notice them.

We have a column in the room that prevents a good straight shot of these, so here’s a couple that show more detail of the bookcases:

I didn’t want to lose much floor space in the room, so we used upper cabinets for the bases – they’re only 12 inches deep. It worked perfectly – I didn’t want the shelves to be any deeper than that:

The cabinets were just the unfinished kind you can find at most big box hardware stores. Even at 12 inches deep they hold a TON! I’ll show you that soon too! ;)

Obviously it took me waaaay longer than I thought it would to build these. I’ve never done something this large. Dad helped me a TON by coming by a day or two a month to help me create them -- but I otherwise it was (mostly) me. We had help on one part – adding the trim to the front of the shelves.

Now I can’t wait to get moving on the rest of the room! Most of it won’t be too bad – I’ve had a new light sitting in the garage for months (this one is too ornate for what I’m going for in here – it’s moving elsewhere). The drapes won’t be too hard (just have to find the perfect fabric!). I’ve already got a coffee table that will go in the middle of the room that will get a redo.

The chairs are going to be the biggie – finding four, super comfy, pretty, affordable chairs will be interesting. :) My plan is to put the coffee table and four chairs in the middle of the room for another comfy spot to sit:

We never ever, I mean, never used the dining room. Ever. I do think a dining room table would look lovely in front of the built ins, but I just don’t want to go back to a space that we don’t use. For now, the chairs are the plan!

Since I’m obsessed with before and afters, let’s take a look at the room earlier this year:

This was a result of my dark and dramatic phase. ;) I really did love this room, but when I painted it chocolate brown the floor was light carpet. The addition of the hardwoods made it feel like a cave.

I’m so thrilled to have a much brighter, useful room now!:

And for all that is good, I am SO GLAD this part is done!!! :)

Can I get a WHOOOOO??

Thanks so much for coming along on this ride with me – and thanks for your patience. I hope you love them and are inspired!

For more on this project, check out these links:

We started out with adding toe kicks to the cabinets and fitting them in place here. I pulled down all the trim in the room, had the lights and outlets wired (we had help on that too) here. I installed and primed the cabs, painted the walls (twice, ugh!) here. I showed you how we built the bookcases (frame and shelves) here. The trim was added and shelves beefed up here. The library light drama was covered here. Also, check out my method for decorating these shelves in this post.

Whew!! MAJOR props to my Dad for all the help, and my hubby and son for being patient with me for the past few days so I could get ‘er done!

Now I’m off to create a new Halloween costume for a cute little boy. The ninja now wants to be the Headless Horseman and I’m determined to make it happen. And then…I’m taking a nap. For a few days. ;)

AMAZING!! We turned our unused formal living room into a library a few years back and I love it!! We actually USE the room. I would love to install lighting, but we haven't quite figured that one out yet.

Love the blue on the back of the shelves! Really makes it look amazing. (I'm into blue right now for some reason)And using 12 inch deep cabinets was a great idea. The chandelier looks too low to walk under, does the coffee table go under the chandelier (which is amazing by the way)

Definitely a MAJOR WOOHOO! I can't wait to read some of the detail posts .... I have the hardest time finding the balance between accessorizing and the function of bookcases. They always look jumbled. Yours are perfect!

THAT LOOKS SO GOOOOOOODO! Seriously, fantastic job. You did a great job styling the bookcases and making them also utilizable; sometimes a "pretty" bookcase is just a place to put junk you never use. Yours looks like you could just grab a book or two off the shelf and read it! Can't wait to see which chairs you pick!

And ps: I went off in search of a rug like your gorgeous lattice one (living room, i think?) and am SO glad I discovered rugsUSA! Just picked up a gorgeous 5x8 rug for 98bucks! Thanks for the tip! :)

Really beautiful result! I like the clearance on the bottom shelves. It may prove useful someday in ways you haven't considered. My built-ins are like that (I inherited them with the house; I don't have the savvy to build 'em like you) and I have stereo components on one side and a TV on the other. Lots of books above in both cases. It's rather ideal.

As for comfy chairs, I can vouch for my friend Angelo's furniture: http://www.angelohome.com/products/category/chairs/ Well made and affordable.

You totally get a WOOO from me! How awesome is that! So practical too! I am very into letting your house tell you how to use the rooms and not just defaulting into how they were designed. I am definitely not a formal dining room person either. Way to go in getting it done mostly on your own!

Amazing job, Sarah!! I love that it looks just like you pictured in your head! Sometimes it's really hard to achieve that. Can't wait to see the chairs and coffee table all snug in there; just in time for some cozy winter reading.

they are fabulous! I really like that the bottom shelf is taller than the others, makes them look more custom. And your shelf styling! You rock it girl!

Too bad we don't live closer. My little cowboy informed me this morning that he is going trick or treating without his horse. It's the kind the child put his legs in for the horses hind legs, would be perfect for your headless horseman!

Good Heavens, that was a LOT of work!!!!!And, to tell you the truth, I'm not much of a "cave" kind of girl, lol! You did a terrific job, and yes, I'd say this would have taken down your pants' size down a couple, lol!

These are just stunning. That blue in the back is TDF, and your styling is impeccable! Can't wait to see what you are replacing the chandy with. I'm using my formal dining room as an office in my new house, but I have yet to replace the chandelier, and so the whole room still screams dining room to me. Looking forward to the inspiration!

and FWIW, I totally think you should add http://pinterest.com/pin/280208408035539434/ frames around the thermostat and light switch. I'm dying to use that someplace in our house, but it would look out of place on our thermostat at the min

Great job!! They are stunning. I really like that if you decide to change it back to a dining room you can still use the built in. Those bottom cabinets would be a great place to stash turkey platters or rarely used small appliances. Once again great job!

I LOVE the bigger shelf on the bottom. It looks so much more custom (even though it already looks custom... because it is! ;) that way... much less bookcase and go. I am in love with the blue background too... it makes everything pop so well! I might have missed it... would you mind sharing the paint color?

WHOOO! Exciting, exciting! I LOVE how the shelves turned out. They look so gorgeous, and I love the way you styled them. I remember the post where you told us about your planning, and I was so excited to see it come together! I am thrilled for you! Thanks so much for sharing all of the pretty pictures with us!

daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg giiiirrrrllll! those are awesome! I knew they were going to be cool, and could even get glimpses of how cool along the way, but no idea they'd look that good! like professional, always designed and meant to be there good!

Sarah, they are spectacular!! I love the end result, and they're very much what *I* had envisioned in my head as well. :-) You did a fabulous job and I can't wait to hear all of the details and tips. LOVE them.

Your solution for an unused room is gorgeous AND practical. You can't get better than that. I love the chairs circled around a coffee table or ottoman for comfy reading. When I tried it here, the issue with floating the furniture in mid-room was no place to plug in reading lamps. I am hoping you have a basement so you can run wiring there and install floor plugs for your lamps. My house is on a slab so no easy way to install floor plugs. Wires running everywhere really cramped my attempt at style. Good luck!

Looks great! I love the way you use COLOR in the accessories. So many times people go for white/gray look...which is lovely, but I just love the way your bookshelves feel like HOME! The plant is perfect and all the fun details... Cannot wait to see it ready with chairs and family sitting in there :)

One thing that doesn't match (in my humble opinion) is the chandelier...it was perfect for a dining room but now the room needs something smaller?

Fabulous job! We have a new home, bought it as a spec home so didn't pick out anything. It has beautiful dark hardwood floors, and the builder painted the dining room chocolate brown. I have been saying the same thing---dark walls OR dark floors, but not both please:) We have been thinking of adding DIY built-ins in our bedroom and/or basement.

You said in post that lower enclosed cabinets are just the unfinished upper cabinets from HD or Lowes. But what did you use for shelves? BTW--sorry I am posting this as "anonymous" but I can't figure out how to make it go thru any other way! Thanks!

Wow!!!! The room, library, turned out beautifully! I love the space. What I like especially is that should you ever sell your home, the new owners could still use the space as a dining room if they wanted. LOVE IT!!! We seldom use our dining room either, Sunday morning for breakfast and hubby reads his paper/has his /coffee each morning in there. Otherwise, just sits there. I've mentioned a breakfast room with a settee/couple of chairs and low table...nah, he's not buying it. Yet! :-) Hope you got some rest. Enjoy that new space. VanessaPS Love how you decorated the shelves. Great inspiration.

What a transformation. Love, love, love it. I want to turn our never eaten in breakfast room into a play room and would love to add built in looking shelves like you did. I don't think I'm as ambitious so I might have to buy something and just add molding to the top and bottom to make it look built in. Love the dark color of the back of the bookcases and the way you styled them. Great job!

Laura, the light is just at my height now, so not too bad -- we just don't walk in the middle. It will be changed out and the coffee table will go below it, so the height won't matter much at that point. I will actually probably go lower to start.

WOW!! They came out SO beautifully!! To build bookcases was on my wish list for 2012 and you have lit that fire again! Thanks for sharing all your how-tos….I'll be sure to reference them when I tackle this. Your library looks amazing - and what a great use of a space that you didn't utilize much before! Enjoy!

Oh yeaaahhhh! :-)Love it! Hey you can have both worlds: library and a dining room. Just get a round dining table, cut it down to coffee table height,and position your big comfy chairs around it! Who says ya gotta have a standard height table to eat at ;-)

1. LOVE IT!2. You MUST post about the SPRAYING vs. HAND-PAINTING immediately please...I am tackling many, many kitchen cabinets next. I need to learn at the feet of the master.3. Even if you decide to have a gathering that requires a "dining room" you can temporarily stage a table in there and voila..instant dining room. Genius!4. I have a giant living room that is calling out for similar shelving.

The shelves look awesome. Looks like we were channelling the same monster at about the same time. I was redesigning my office and you were getting your shelves up for the last 9 months. Why is it these projects take about the same as birthing a baby?

Whoo Hoo! Absolutely Fabulous, Sarah! When hubby and I were looking at model homes, I always thought the formal dining rooms would look better as libraries. I just love the look and smell of books. We have a small built-in nook in our living room that is supposed to be for a TV (complete with electrical outlets), but it's way too small for our 50 incher. I've turned it into our library nook by tucking a bookcase into it and filling it with books, collectibles, a lamp and framed pics. At Christmas, I clear it out and that's where I put out 5 foot tree!

I LOVE IT! You inspired me to change up my LR/office/DR. It is one large room. I found some great bookshelves on Craigs. I just will nail them to the wall, trim them out and I am painting the same color as the wall. I have been dying to move my armoire out of there. I'm ready to roll.Keep up the good work!

I read your blog a lot and have never commented, but your bookshelves came out amazing I just have to say how much I love them! The shelves themselves are beautiful but how you've styled them is even better!

I also love the look of 4 chairs and a coffee table. We think of doing that to our dining room too but we already have a living room, family room and library for two of us so I do not think we need another room to sit in.

I have heard from other bloggers that Overstock has great chairs for a reasonable price.

Looks great! We turned our never-ever-used dining room into an area for our daughter. There's an aqua dresser to store all her supplies and her very own table - which is perfect for eating and crafting. There's also a chair in the corner for reading. Looks cute, flows well and its finally functional! I've never been a big fan of the formal dining or living rooms!

That looks sooo nice. You did a wonderful job, and are so incredibly handy and smart with what you build. I would love to take lessons. And...if and when y'all ever move and sell your house, it would look lovely with a dining room table in front of them. Great job!! xo

Hi decor chick! I have a question--how did you decide to paint the ceiling white? We are getting ready to paint the basement in a neutral color and I would like to do the same color on the ceiling, but my husband wants it white. Any suggestions? The basement is 9 feet tall and has big windows--so darkness is not an issue. Thanks!

WOOHOO!I am about to build a craft room and would love storage like your gorgeous shelves.Thanks so much for sharing. What was the cost (minus the blood, sweat and tears) of your project?Thanks so much for sharing!!

Hi Sarah! I am about to start this project in my living room and before I start I was wondering if you have done a price breakdown of this. I am trying to project how much this will cost. I guess we would have to hire an electrician for the wiring, although we may try to do that ourselves (maybe?). Anyway, if you have it on here somewhere and I missed it, will you link me to it? Thanks. So beautiful!

Hello Karen! I can't remember exactly because we spread it out so long but the base cabinets were $320 and then the other wood for the shelves and trim was probably $150 - $200. Maybe not even that much because we used basic pine for the shelves but nicer pine for the trimwork. I had a little over $100 in lights as well and only paid about $150 for the electrical work. I think the final cost was between $650 - $750. But ours are 12 feet wide so that's for our large version. :) Good luck!!